I'm going to Beijing for a few days in April to visit my wife (she will be there all month). Any advice on things to do, cheap flights, places to stay (I'll only need a room for 3 nights), etc? Neither of us have been to China before. TIA
Don't buy souvenirs at tourist attractions. That's about all I can think of. My impression of Beijing from the...half a dozen times I've been there isn't that great.
If you are going to take a cab anywhere MAKE SURE they turn their calculation things on. A lot of cab drivers will try to con you by overcharging foreigners. Same with any street vendors. Anything that is authentic(electronics, clothe, etc) are way more expensive over there than here.
Don't buy the bottled water at tourist areas as well. Some of them take old bottles and fill them up with tap water. One member on here said that's what he does for a living..forgot who he was.
I lived in China for 2 months and had a blast. I can't remember the name of where I stayed, but it was NICE....I'll repost if I can remember the name. My welcome guide said the US president has stayed there before. But who knows about that. Hard to recommend what to do, I was there on more business than pleasure. But I did go to the Great Wall, where I learned how out of shape I was. Also visited elementary kids which was a blast.
Buy a bunch of stuff. That's what I did in China EVERYTHING is SOOOOOOOO CHEAP! Taxis are also a very cheap way of getting around Beijing If you have 3 days, I would suggest checking out the Great Wall. It would be a shame to go that far and not see it. Again I would take a Taxi, it only cost about 5 bucks that way despite it being pretty far away. That is pretty much a day trip. Something else I would suggest doing is finding out (ask your hotel) a good place to eat Peking Duck. Again, a fancy place is still pretty cheap, I don't remember the name of the place we went, but it was under 20 dollars for 4 of us. I'm sure your wife knows some other stuff to do.
this is true. Bottled water outside tourist attractions is about the only expensive thing in Beijing from my experience.
There's no way that a taxi to the Great Wall is only 5 bucks or 35 yuan. I lived in Haidian District for a month over the summer (where Peking University and Tsinghua are) and it was like 40 yuan to get to Sanlitun and over a 100yuang to get to the airport.
I don't know what to tell you. Maybe the cab driver was dumb, cause it was extremely cheap. Maybe it was a little more but I never paid even 10 bucks for a taxi anywhere in China. The last time I was in China was 3 years ago though.
I'd say: If you like architecture/cultural stuff - Great Wall Forbidden City (close to the National Opera House, which also pretty cool) Olympic Stadiums (Bird's Nest, Water Cube) Typical touristy shopping areas: Silk Market 3.3 at Sanlitun Nightlife Sanlitun Houhai Wudaokou There's also a really cool artsy district called 798. Hope this helps
I stay the Hilton Beijing when I'm there. I usually get upgraded to the new executive tower and its very nice. I think it has a flat panel tv above the bath tub. I would consider it a 4.5 star hotel. It runs about $150-200 bucks a night but I'm sure you can get a deal if you look around. All the newer American branded hotels in Beijing are nice. Why do you need a room if your wife is already there?
Yea, that's probably why. The dollar is weaker due to the recession and prices in china have inflated a lot due to the massive spending by their government.
She is doing a med school rotation there and will have a roommate, so...... $200 a night is good for a Beijing hotel?
